Corn-grader.



No. 824,720. PATENTED JULY 8, 1906. G. HUNNIGUTT.

OORN' GRADER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY28,1905.

ventor,

Attorneys' i yrrnn snares rarnnr CHARLES HUNNICUTT, OF WILMINGTQN, OHIG.

coaraenanaa.

Specification of Letters latent.

latented July 3, 3.2"?6.

Application filed July 28, 1905- Eerial K0. 271,674,

ing corn with a view of obtaining those grains which by reason of their size and shape are specially adapted to be used as seed-corn, said grains being separated not on y from the grains which are rejectedon account of lackmg in size, but also from such grains as are' considered defective on account of uneven and irregular shape, although-their size may not be objectionable.

The object of the invention is to present a grading-screen whereby the objectsabove referred to may be attained and which shall possess superior advantages in point of simplicity, durability, and general efiiciency.

With these and other ends in view, which Y 'vn'll readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described, and par-- ticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the pre cise structural details therein exhibited, but that the right is reserved to any changes, alterations, and modifications to which recourse may be had within the scope of the invention arid without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the eiiiciency of the same.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a grading-screen constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the line 2 2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the line- 3 3 in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail plan view showing several of the ribs of the lower part of the grading-screen enlarged. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail view taken on the plane in (heated by the line 5 5 in Fig. 4. F1 s. 6 and 7 are detail views illustrating modh cations. Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated throughout by similar characters of reference.

The improved grading-screen is preferably cylindricalin shape, and it is supported, by means of sp ders 1, upon a shait 2, wine-h s in practice suitably mounted tor r tation in a slightly-inclined position, as indicated in Fig.1 0 the drawings, the bearings for the shaft having, however, been omitted.

The gradingscreen G is composed of two separate members, which w ll be designated as the sieve 3 and the grade-1" 4. Under the preferred construction (illu strated in Fig.

1) the sieve consists of a sheet-metal cylinder provided with a plurality of apertures 5, which are struck up in an outward direction by proper tools or dies, whereby said apertures shall be formed of regular size and each surrounded by a tapering or funnel-shaped annular wall 6, the outer extremityof which determines the size of the largest seed that shall be permitted to pass through. The struck-up apertures may. thus be described as being outwardly beveled or tapering, so as to form funnels that will guide the smaller seeds through said apertures, the larger seeds being retained within the sieve and permitted to pass from the latterinto the "next or grading compartment of the-device.

The grading-compartment is made up of a plurality of sheet-metal strips bent te ap proximate V shape, and the extremities of said strips being flattened, as will be cleariy seen at 7 in Fig. 4 of the drawings, where the individual strips have een designated 8. The flattened end portions 7 serve to space the individual ribs apart, and a plurality pf said ribs maybe assembled and connected in an desired manner, as b means of rivets 9, to oops or bands 10 10, t e flattened ends of the ribs being preferably secured upon the inner sides of said hoops and the ridges of the ribs being faced in the direction of the shaft or axis of the cylinder. The edges of the ribs are spaced apart a distance suitable to the size of corn to be graded, so that fiat grains of regular sha e or contour may escape through the outwar y-ta ering slots existing between the edges of sai ribs. Coarse and irregular-sha ed grains will escapeover the discharge en of the grader.

discharge end at the lower end of the grader every ear. 7 is unobstructed.

ting the small and round seeds to escape through the apertures 5. The larger grains will pass into the gradencompartment 4,

Where the smooth, flat, and regular-shaped grains will escape between the ribs S'to be saved forseed-corn, While the grains of irregular shape, which tail over the end of the grader, will be discarded for seeding purposes.

in the operation 01" the device such seeds as prove to be too large to pass through the respective openings will be in little dangerof settling in and obstructing said openings, but will readily drop back into the screen as the rotation of the latter progresses.

Instead of constructing the device of sheet metal, as in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, the sieve portion of the screen may be constructed of Wood or other suitable material and having Walls of proper thickness, as indicated at 13 in Fig. 6, said walls being provided with tap vering or funnel shaped perforations 14.

hen this construction is resorted to, the

grader portion of the device may be formed of solid triangular ribs, as indicated at 15 in Fig. 7. These modifications have been introduced merely to emphasize the fact that I do not regard myself as limited to the precise construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, and I desire it to be understood that various other changes may be made within the scope of the 40 invention.

By the use of this improved device str pe rior seed-corn ma be readily selected from the average run 0 corn v/hic 1s found upon erated by any farmer who desires to profit by the selection of seed.

Instead of being cylindrical, as herein described, the improved grading device may he s uare or polygonal in cross-section. It is also to be understood that instead of forming and mounting it as a cylinder it may be in the nature of a trough supported for oscillation.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is l v v l. A corn-grading device consisting of a c lindrical drum supported for rotation in a s ightly-inclined position; the u per portion of said drum being provided with outwardlytapering apertures and-the lower portion'of sald drum comprising a plurality of approximately V-shaped spaced slats.

2. n a corn-grader, a cylindrical sieve having outwardly-tapering apertures and a cylindrical grading-screen com rising a pinrality of a proximately V s ape-d s aoed ribs assemb ed and connected w1thin oops disposed exteriorly at the ends of the ribs;

said cylindrical sieve being introduced into and secured Within the upper end of the cylindrical rib portion.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

GHAS. HUNNICUTT.

Witnesses:

Tnos. L. Coorrsnv, Josnrr-r Noon.

The device, as will be seen, is eX- tremely simple and may be successfully op- 

